Evaluating Cybersecurity Patch Management through QA Performance Indicators

Abstract

Effective patch management is a cornerstone of modern cybersecurity, yet many organizations struggle to measure the success of their patching processes in a structured and objective manner. This research evaluates cybersecurity patch management through the lens of Quality Assurance (QA) performance indicators, providing a data-driven approach to assess and improve security posture. Key QA metrics, including patch success rate, mean time to deploy (MTTD), rollback frequency, and vulnerability exposure window, are analyzed to determine their impact on system reliability and risk mitigation. The study highlights how integrating QA principles into patch management enables continuous monitoring, early detection of process inefficiencies, and faster remediation of vulnerabilities. Findings suggest that a standardized set of QA-based indicators can help security teams optimize patch deployment strategies, reduce operational risk, and enhance compliance with cybersecurity frameworks. This approach provides a repeatable, measurable pathway to improving organizational resilience against evolving cyber threats.